BOSTON — The Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis earlier this week, and reportedly listened to offers for franchise cornerstones Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. Wednesday loomed as a potentially transformative day in Celtics history, with some clarity emerging whether Boston chose a franchise reset, further payroll reduction or pointed navigation up or down the draft board.
Instead, White and Brown finished the night as Celtics, and the team didn’t move off their No. 28 pick or execute unrelated deals to attain further financial goals. They mostly held the line, but their first round selection served as a hint to the direction Boston will likely embrace. The Celtics drafted Hugo Gonzalez, a 19-year-old from Spain who’s a work in progress offensively and didn’t play often for his Real Madrid club this past season. Despite some evaluators considering him underrated, he’s clearly a long-term development project.
And while Boston selects No. 2 on the second day of the draft, allowing for the team to select a more prepared prospect who can play immediately, the Celtics increasingly appear focused on the future beyond next season. Brad Stevens stressed the impact of the Jayson Tatum injury and financial penalties impacting Boston’s ability to build a contender.
“There are a lot of things that go into these moves,” Stevens said. “A lot of things that are really important. And again, it goes back to prioritizing our flexibility. I think the second apron basketball penalties are real, and I’m not sure I understood how real until they were staring me in the face in the last month. That can’t be overstated.”
Stevens announced the Celtics will weigh courting the best team possible, acquiring assets and increasing flexibility after deciding a direction over the past month. The weight of the decisions the team made, which are still pending, showed on his tired face just past midnight when he addressed them as best as he could. Stevens acknowledged he spoke to everyone involved, and that trades are always difficult.
The Holiday and Porziņģis deals, along with lottery teams making their selections, placed the Brown and White conversations in the past for now. More money moves could follow, Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang’s long-term standing with the team still unclear. Multiple reports indicated league-wide interest in Sam Hauser. Stevens expressed interest in retaining Al Horford and Luke Kornet while acknowledging that both could receive compelling opportunities in free agency. He didn’t want to pressure either to return.
“I sat down in front of everybody a few weeks ago,” Stevens said. “My goal is to compete for championships. And there will be, inevitably, a lot that goes into being in the mix for those, and we have to prioritize the health of those two guys, and then also, at the same time, make sure we’re regaining some of our flexibility.”
Those acknowledgments, among them Stevens admitting he didn’t realize the severity of second apron penalties until they stared at him, don’t prevent the Celtics from competing. Gonzalez could exceed early expectations. But Jayson Tatum’s in a boot, Stevens cautioned. He included Brown, White, Tatum and Payton Pritchard as part of the team’s core.
The challenge will become finding a way to reshape the roster around two super max players, a thinner front court and a center position that featured only Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman Sr. as of Thursday. Taking swings and transforming high-upside prospects into prominent contributors will now prove mandatory toward maintaining the team’s current core as important role players depart. More salary dumps to reduce the team’s tax burden could follow. They’re $15 million over the tax threshold, and just $7 million over the first apron, which provides additional flexibility.
The work isn’t done. Thursday’s selection could fill a more immediate need. But the Gonzalez pick signified a shift in focus, from a ready-to-go prospect like Baylor Scheierman one year ago to embracing a longer-term growth trajectory. Gonzalez’ offense, based on cutting, also marked an evident interest in altering the team’s play style. Boston ranked T-26th in cuts per game last year. Joe Mazzulla favored spacing.
“I believe wholeheartedly and in (Mazzulla) and our staff and figuring out how to best maximize our team, and that’ll be up to them,” Stevens said. “I think the thing that I took away, and I talked about the Knicks series a little bit … I thought the part of those games that stood out to me was, more than anything, when we got stagnant and we played without pace, and you could just feel it. You could see the walking up. You could see all that. I think we’re going to try to address some of that.”
